Getting in the investment game
Students in Laura Ambrose's classes at Clarke Central High School, have joined thousands of nationwide students in grades four-12 who are participating in Wachovia Securities Stock Market Game.

Training agreement signed for Latexco
LAVONIA - Community leaders, officials with Latexco LLC and North Georgia Technical College representatives recently signed a QuickStart Training Program agreement for the new 100,000-square-foot Latexco facility located in the Gerrard Road Industrial Park in Lavonia.

Moore leaves Athens due to family matters
Donald B. Moore, who for 20 years worked with the wait staff at Harry Bissett's New Orleans Cafe and Oyster Bar in Athens, has had to leave the restaurant to attend to family matters in Tennessee.

Prince cafe on way
Lindsey Payne, an Athens food service entrepreneur who recently launched a new catering service, plans to open a cafe and carry-out venture in March on Prince Avenue.

Former prosecutors establish own firm
Former Athens prosecutors Kevin D. Gonzalez and D. Jason Slider recently opened their own law firm, Slider & Gonzalez, LLC, specializing in the areas of criminal defense, domestic relations and personal injury. The practice opened on Hog Mountain Road in Watkinsville near the Twelve Oaks subdivision.

Diagnosis still a little fuzzy for state's signature crop
Georgia's peach growers welcomed the freezing overnight temperatures recently settling on the state and bringing crucial "chill hours" needed to produce the sweetest fruit, but Oconee County orchard owner Jerry Thomas Sr. has a bigger worry.

ARMC names Lucas VP of medical affairs
Athens Regional Medical Center recently promoted Dr. Stephen Lucas to senior vice president of medical affairs. Lucas, who also is the chief medical officer at ARMC, has been a member of the Athens Regional staff since 1983.

Microsoft extends XP customer service
REDMOND, Wash. - On the eve of the consumer launch of its new Windows Vista operating system, Microsoft Corp. is extending the period in which it will offer support for the previous version, Windows XP.

Jackson gets workers comp dividend
Jackson County has received a dividend in the amount of $39,439 from the Association County Commissioners of Georgia Group Self Insurance Workers Compensation Fund. The dividend is Jackson County's share of a $3 million dividend declared by the board of trustees. The dividend will be returned in the form of a premium credit applied toward Jackson County's workers compensation premium for the 2006 policy year. In 1982, the state enacted a law at the request of Georgia county governments to allow county members to pool their resources by forming a nonprofit insurance fund to provide for anticipated losses and expenses.

Caldwell: Do advisers ensure market efficiency?
More and more mainstream media sources are questioning the need to hire investment advisers. Many of these media personalities argue that it is a waste of resources to pay an adviser for achieving the same return that you could achieve on your own through indexing - using mutual funds tied to a specific stock index. Indexing relates to market efficiency, meaning that investors should achieve only what the market/index - the S&P 500, for example - earns, and any return higher is rare and pure luck. Why pay advisers for luck?

Kimmich working full time at Adams Optics
Athens optometrist Dr. Richard Kimmich has joined the downtown location of Adams Optics on a full-time basis, according to Kimmich and optician Jim Adams, who owns Adams Optics.

Needham promoted with Georgia DOT
Monroe resident Matt Needham, a Georgia Department of Transportation district engineer, has been promoted to assistant area engineer for construction and project engineer for the Interstate 85 at Georgia Highway 316 interchange reconstruction and HOV lane extension.

Permits
Permits issued in Athens-Clarke County during the week of Jan. 14 to Jan. 20 as reported in The Hunt Letter.

Sorrells again earns sales certification
For the sixth year in a row. Athens auto salesman Bo Sorrells, has been recognized by General Motors as a certified sales consultant, according to Wesley Middlebrooks, general manager of Heyward Allen Motor Co.

Frowth potential
Big-name mutual funds often attract lots of attention, but some fine-performing, lesser-known funds also are worthy of investors' consideration.

Building contracts dip in Athens metro area
McGraw-Hill Construction's reports on December contracts for future construction in the metropolitan statistical area of Athens-Clarke County, consisting of Clarke, Madison, Oconee and Oglethorpe counties, showed a decline in total contracts for the month and the year.

Landrum-Stephen
Miss Landrum is the granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jack Marion Landrum of Lawrenceville, Georgia and Mrs. Lucy Nell Brown and the late Mr. William Mitchell Brown of Howard, Georgia.

Mundy 50th Anniversary
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Murrel Mundy, Sr. celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on Thursday, January 25, 2007. Murrel and Maxine Mundy were united in marriage January 25, 1957 in Belton, South Carolina. Their honeymoon was at Lake Kingsley, Florida.

Lavergne-Darnell
Miss Lavergne is the granddaughter of Mr. Gervais Lavergne and the late Mrs. Annabelle Lavergne of Church Point, Louisiana and the late Mr. and Mrs. Nolan Lavergne of Church Point, Louisiana.

Man chased, jailed after fleeing trooper
A Washington man was jailed on multiple misdemeanor charges Sunday afternoon after police say he sped away from a Georgia State Patrol trooper who saw the man was not wearing a seat belt and attempted to pull the man over.

Michael F. Adams: Carter coverage earns high praise
The Athens Banner-Herald outdid itself with the remarkable breadth, depth and quality of coverage given to the Jan. 19-21 conference on the Carter presidency at the University of Georgia. To wake up both Saturday and Sunday mornings during the conference and find the front pages devoted almost completely to the conference, and then to read the stories and see the photographs and know that those in the community who were unable to attend were virtually in the room via the Banner-Herald, was to see journalism at its finest.

Grady L. Cornish: Bipartisan approach is best bet for PeachCare
Gov. Sonny Perdue tried unsuccessfully for months to get the Bush administration to address the $130 million shortfall faced by Georgia's PeachCare program, which provides health care coverage to children in moderate- to low-income families. Without a fix, money will run out in March.

Tom Jackson: Coverage of Carter was 'extraordinary'
The extraordinary conference on the Carter presidency hosted Jan. 19-21 by the University of Georgia was bolstered by the equally extraordinary coverage offered by the Athens Banner-Herald. From the preview advertising and news features to the daily coverage and the magnificent special section in the paper on Jan. 21, the newspaper's efforts were of the highest order.

Finding a perfect fit
Rabun Neal had finished one meeting. Now, he had a newspaper interview. His agenda showed a lunch meeting at 12:30 p.m., followed by a meeting to discuss, a marketing project, another with a property owners' association, then dinner with his parents and sisters who were visiting. But he also planned to drop by a lakeside musical concert that evening.

Terry Kay's 'Valley of Light' on CBS tonight
Returning from service in World War II, Noah Locke is a young man who's carrying grief. Members of his platoon were killed on the battlefield and he blames himself. He saw the death camps at Dachau. His parents died and his brother is in prison. Even the family farm has been sold.

Coral reefs, clear blue sea, West Indies grub
CHARLOTTE AMALIE, U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS - The 10-seater plane cruised over islets and light blue waters that exposed luminous coral reefs as it headed to our final destination: the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Benefit Concert for the homeless shelter
The Bulldog Brass Quartet, shown right, the Athens Guitar Trio and the Georgia Children's Chorus will be among the artists performing at the inaugural Benefit Concert for the Athens Area Homeless Shelter at 8 p.m. Friday at Athens First Presbyterian Church.

Williams and Mantle's trip to a local beer joint
Mickey Mantle, the New York Yankees outfielder who slugged his way into baseball legend, spent many days on Lake Oconee in Greene County before his death in 1995. And while the upscale clubhouse bars are engineered for an elegant atmosphere, he probably never forgot his visit to a little rebel-rousing beer joint north of Athens.

Lewis: Learn to relate to children all of the time
A few weeks ago, I attended a presentation given by the director of my daughter's school that was, in essence, about the way children develop. I left with a couple of packets of reading material and as I made my way through it, one header written in all caps caught my eye. It read, "A COMMON MISTAKE ADULTS MAKE WITH CHILDREN" - a point I thought it best not to overlook. After reading it several times now, I'm compelled to share it, as it is truly profound.

It's not always down the drain
Jennifer Garner revealed a secret last week that she'd been keeping from husband Ben Affleck: She nearly lost a ring he had given her after the birth of their 1-year-old daughter, Violet.

Greene County author has story to tell
Carey Williams sat in a chair near the front of the Greensboro Herald-Journal, where through the plate glass window he could observe the comings and goings of downtown Greensboro. Lately, many folks here have had murder and sex on their minds.

Yahoo! launches 'Film Your Issue'
Yahoo! Inc. is teaming up with "Film Your Issue" to serve as the exclusive online sponsor of the "Issue Film" competition, an initiative to engage young adults in a public dialogue regarding local, national and international issues of importance.

Today in history
Today is Sunday, Jan. 28, the 28th day of 2007. There are 337 days left in the year.

Stanford stuns UCLA
STANFORD, Calif. - Lawrence Hill scored seven straight points including the tying and go-ahead baskets to finish with 22, and Stanford rallied in the second half to stun No. 3 UCLA 75-68 Sunday night and hand the Bruins only their second loss of the season.

Wildcats exploit Lofton's absence
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Kentucky got five of its 11 3-pointers as part of a 20-2 run as the Wildcats capitalized on the absence of All-America candidate Chris Lofton to pull away from rival Tennessee 76-57 Sunday afternoon.

Hogs hold on for win
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Arkansas was determined to earn its first road victory in the SEC - and it showed.

The road to recovery
Mark Sussman switched on the emergency flashers and slowly steered off the winding two-lane highway and into the wildly growing grass.

Country faces acid test on new security effort
DAVOS, Switzerland - Iraq's leaders are facing an acid test in coming weeks as Iraqi and U.S. troops launch their new security program to flush out militants and death squads district by district.

Athens' Kidd to lead state Dems
ATLANTA - Jane Kidd of Athens won election Saturday as chairwoman of the Georgia Democratic Party, and Athens native Michael Thurmond, the state labor commissioner, was elected first vice chairman.

Egypt scoffs at 'New 7 Wonders' contest
CAIRO, Egypt - Egypt is scoffing at a global contest to name the new seven wonders of the world, saying it is a disgrace that the ancient Pyramids of Giza - the only surviving structure from the traditional list of architectural marvels - must compete for a spot.

Spokeswoman: B.B. King OK, out of hospital
HOUSTON - B.B. King was discharged from a Galveston, Texas, hospital Saturday following treatment for a fever and was "back to his old self," a spokeswoman for his management agency said.

Cabinet OKs naming first Muslim minister
JERUSALEM - The Israeli government overwhelmingly approved the appointment of the country's first Muslim Cabinet minister Sunday, billing it as an important step for a long-suffering minority.

Billionaire's wife takes active role with Gates Foundation
DAVOS, Switzerland - Melinda Gates has traveled the world with her husband, meeting with the rich and powerful and visiting its poorest in remote African villages. She and her husband share top-billing at the world's richest foundation, but Bill Gates always dominated the spotlight - until this year.

Officials: Possible gang a serious threat
An Athens "Bloods" gang might not have ties to the notorious West Coast gang with the same name, gangs experts say, but authorities still should be concerned about the group of thugs who brutally beat a teen this month.

Thousands march against Iraq war
WASHINGTON - Convinced this is their moment, tens of thousands marched Saturday in an anti-war demonstration linking military families, ordinary people and an icon of the Vietnam protest movement in a spirited call to get out of Iraq.

Happily ever after - again
COMMERCE - An illness in the family forced Woodrow and Edna Wilson to cancel their 50th wedding anniversary celebration, so they decided to mark the occasion with a low-key lunch.

Insurgents rush to terrorize Iraq before crackdown
BAGHDAD, Iraq - The U.S. military reported the deaths of seven more soldiers Saturday, while Sunni insurgent bombers struck yet another market in a predominantly Shiite district, killing at least 13 people in their bid to terrorize Baghdad days before a U.S.-Iraqi military crackdown.

Downtown turns west
For the past few years, the eastern side of downtown Athens has been the happening spot for new businesses, from bars to fashion to condominiums.

Officials fail again to reach compromise on oil law
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraqi officials say a hotly debated proposed oil law will not favor Americans but acknowledge that foreign companies will be allowed to take their profits out of the country - an incentive to draw foreign investment.

Sen. Clinton: Bush must fix his mess
DAVENPORT, Iowa -Hillary Rodham Clinton said Sunday that President Bush has made a mess of Iraq and it is his responsibility to "extricate" the United States from the situation before he leaves office.

Judge asked to dismiss kidnapping charges
JACKSON, Miss. - The reputed Ku Klux Klansman accused in the 1964 slayings of two black men has asked a federal judge to throw out the charges, saying the statute of limitations has expired.

Clinton makes first campaign stop
DES MOINES, Iowa - New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton blamed President Bush on Saturday for misusing authority given him by Congress to act in Iraq, but conceded "I take responsibility" for her role in allowing that to happen.

Ex-Arkansas governor plans to join the field
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Republican Mike Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor and a favorite of conservatives, will take the first step in a 2008 presidential bid, an official told The Associated Press.

A-C closed votes to buy land illegal?
The Athens-Clarke County Commission has spent $7 million for 80 acres of land in the past two years out of the public's sight, straying from its usual policy of encouraging debate on almost every issue.

Pelosi meets with Pakistani president
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi spoke with Pakistan's president about the situation in neighboring Afghanistan here Saturday, a Pakistani official said.

Suit could affect access to parks
YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. - The plunging waterfalls and soaring crags chiseled by the Merced River draw millions of visitors each year, but the crowds are precisely what threatens the waterway and the park.

Suicide bomber kills 15 near mosque in Pakistan
PESHAWAR, Pakistan - A suicide attacker detonated a bomb among police on guard near a Shiite Muslim mosque in this northwestern Pakistani city Saturday, killing at least 15 people and wounding more than 30, police said.

Guantanamo adviser treads warily
GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba - The Middle Eastern man's name is a tightly held secret. No one in his family except his wife knows he works at this U.S. military base, where nearly 400 men captured in Washington's war on terror are held.

Lawmaker: Iran is installing centrifuges
TEHRAN, Iran - Iran currently is installing 3,000 centrifuges, a top lawmaker said Saturday in an announcement underlining that the country will continue to develop its nuclear program despite U.N. sanctions.

250 insurgents alleged dead in battle
BAGHDAD, Iraq - U.S.-backed Iraqi troops on Sunday attacked insurgents allegedly plotting to kill pilgrims at a major Shiite Muslim religious festival, and Iraqi officials estimated some 250 militants died in the daylong battle near Najaf. A U.S. helicopter crashed during the fight, killing two American soldiers.

At least 20 dead in battle between Hamas, Fatah
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - Gunmen from the rival Hamas and Fatah movements battled in Gaza City for a third straight day Saturday, firing mortars and grenades in clashes that killed two men in the increasingly bloody power struggle over the Palestinian government.

Initiative a ticket to safety
His last name means "hat" in French, but it's strictly coincidence that Cpl. Charles Chapeau heads up the new Big Hat Campaign for the Georgia State Patrol's Post 32.

Missing fishing boat is found submerged
BOSTON - The Coast Guard said Sunday it discovered a fishing vessel missing since Friday night submerged 36 feet in Nantucket Sound. All four crew members still were missing.

More kids in schools homeless
At least two Northeast Georgia school districts are expanding or want to expand services to help the homeless students they're seeing more and more in schools.

Couple guilty in hostage standoff
STATESBORO - A couple who took an attorney hostage in his office in an incident that closed the downtown area was found guilty of kidnapping and other charges Friday.

Protest fears prompt removal of flag display
GAINESVILLE - A display of foreign flags is coming down at Gainesville High School because education officials fear it would attract even more protests from residents who say the display does not make the American flag stand out enough.

Pentagon trying to cut 'backdoor draft'
WASHINGTON - In an action branded a backdoor draft by some critics, the military over the past several years has held tens of thousands of soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines on the job and in war zones beyond their retirement dates or enlistment length.

Prince Charles chats with N.Y. schoolkids
NEW YORK - Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, visited Harlem Sunday in their whirlwind American weekend, making a stop at a charter school where they answered children's questions and the prince took some time to shoot hoops with a basketball team.

Dems have unproductive 100 hours
House Democrats have wrapped up their promised 100 hours of legislative action by passing an energy bill with hours to spare. It was a rare show of Democratic efficiency, but what, exactly, did it prove?

Bestwick: Reflections, musings on college football season
As national football signing date approaches, it's time to look back at the college bowl season and acknowledge Florida made it clear just who is the national champion. Florida clearly dominated the favored Ohio State Buckeyes and made a case for the Southeastern Conference being the best overall conference in college football, the Big East's sweep of five bowl games notwithstanding.

Mississippi case offers ray of hope in local lynching
The fact an elderly man walked into a federal courtroom in Mississippi on Thursday should renew the hopes of all of those looking for justice in a 1946 Georgia lynching of two black couples on the banks of the Apalachee River, at Moore's Ford on the Walton County-Oconee County line.

Cheney playing bad cop in making case for surge
There was a time when vice presidents were like little boys at their parents' dinner party - seen but not heard. Our current version has, so to speak, put that old notion to bed long ago.

Discovery might bring Georgia to biotech forefront
University of Georgia research scientist Steve Stice's Thursday announcement of a breakthrough in manufacturing cells that can grow into nerve and brain tissue is the latest evidence the state's flagship institution of higher education is a legitimate player in biomedical and biotechnology research.

Ethanol is no real alternative
At present, the United States is producing 5 billion gallons of ethanol a year. It's a dandy octane booster and emissions curb, and President Bush is so taken with it he wants to expand production to 60 billion gallons a year by 2030.

Polk soars to best vault
CLEMSON, S.C. - Nicole Polk set an Oconee County girls' record and placed fourth in the pole vault at the Clemson Indoor Invitational on Saturday.

Roberts out after one year
Elbert County athletic director Bobby McAllister said on Saturday that football coach Eddie Roberts' recent resignation "absolutely" surprised him.

Curry's shooting lifts Hart County
GAINESVILLE - Hart County's Kurvin Curry hit 1 of 2 free throws with 32 seconds left and made another with 23 seconds remaining for the No. 6 Bulldogs in an 88-86 non-region win at Johnson-Gainesville late Saturday.

Tigers' Tales
Russell Morgan heard the joy in their voices. As the Washington-Wilkes football coach talked to running back Kelmetrus Wylie and defensive back Gary Wilburn eight days ago, he knew what their decision was going to be.

Miller-led Sixers soar over Hawks
ATLANTA - Andre Miller scored six straight points to spark a 10-0 fourth-quarter run after Atlanta pulled within two points, and the Philadelphia 76ers never trailed while beating the Hawks 104-89 on Saturday night.

Former Cardinals general manager dies
ST. LOUIS - Bing Devine, the St. Louis Cardinals general manager who helped build teams that won three NL pennants and two World Series in the 1960s, died Saturday. He was 90.

Montoya's team leads Daytona race
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - The Lexus Riley driven by Juan Pablo Montoya, Scott Pruett and Salvador Duran held a slim lead Saturday night over two other Daytona Prototypes after the first seven hours of the Rolex 24 sports car endurance race.

Buildup has begun
When Doug Williams became the first black quarterback to start a Super Bowl 19 years ago, the buildup to the game between his Washington Redskins and the Denver Broncos was "all Williams all the time."

Henry released from prison
COVINGTON, Ky. - Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chris Henry was released from jail Saturday after completing a two-day sentence for letting minors drink alcohol in a hotel room he had rented.

Buckle moves into tie with Snedeker
SAN DIEGO - Australian rookie Andrew Buckle closed out his 4-under 68 with a 15-foot birdie putt that gave him a share of the Buick Invitational lead Saturday with fellow rookie Brandt Snedeker

Bears arrive in Sunshine State
MIAMI - Coach Lovie Smith thumbed through the Indianapolis Colts press guide on a three-hour flight that delivered the Bears from the cold of Chicago to the warm comfort of Florida - a trip that landed them back at the Super Bowl.

Thrashers fall at home to Philly
ATLANTA - Jeff Carter scored two goals, including the game-winner with 1:02 remaining, as the Philadelphia Flyers snapped a nine-game losing streak with a 2-1 win over the Atlanta Thrashers on Sunday.

Bush fined $5,000 for touchdown taunt
MIAMI - Reggie Bush was fined $5,000 by the NFL for taunting during his 88-yard touchdown reception in New Orleans' NFC championship game loss at Chicago last week.

Panelists mull over the impact
Even though dozens of dignitaries and academics spent three days hashing out lessons from the successes and failures of Jimmy Carter's presidency for posterity's sake, some Carter Conference panelists wonder if people with influence over the current and next administration will take the lessons of the Carter era to heart.

Barely getting by for education
Matt Jones tries to keep his grocery bill under $20 a week, lives with three roommates and saves gas by walking wherever he can.

Turnover turnaround
When Ashley Houts takes a look at the postgame stat sheet, the first number she checks is under the column for turnovers.